Borgo Medievale

A complete reconstruction of a fifteenth-century Piedmontese village on the bank of the Po, built as a fairground exhibit in 1884 and never taken down. The wooden bridge, the rocca on the hill, the artisan workshops along the main street — all are faithful copies of real buildings in the Aosta valley and Piedmont.

It is free to wander the streets and the river embankment. The rocca on the hill, an imitation feudal castle, charges a small fee. The cluster of workshops still has working blacksmiths, potters and a paper-maker on weekends.

things to do sight
A story
The 'medieval village' was built from scratch in 1884 for the Italian General Exhibition: a team of Piedmontese historians and craftsmen reproduced specific houses and streets from castles around the region, brick by brick. After the fair closed the city decided not to demolish it. Locals routinely mistake it for the real thing.

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